One site that offers a lot of interesting information about Italian Surnames and how they came to be is Italy World Club. They have broken down the origins of surnames by several categories such as Patronymics, Toponymics, Occupational, Nicknames, and Surnames of Foundlings.

The SURNAME, also called FAMILY NAME, is nowadays added to an original or baptismal name, inherited and held in common by members of a family. The Italian word "cognome" comes from the Latin "cum nomine", something that accompanies the name. In antiquity no surnames were used, then for the first time in ancient Rome the use of the tria nomina ...

0
comments

Share This

Donate

Please support Gente di Mare Genealogy.
Help us by supporting the future development of this site, or simply to say thank you.

Genea-Bloggers on Facebook

"When desire, having rejected reason and overpowered judgment which leads to right, is set in the direction of the pleasure which beauty can inspire, and when again under the influence of its kindred desires it is moved with violent motion towards the beauty of corporeal forms, it acquires a surname from this very violent motion, and is called love."
~ Socrates

Pages

About This Site

... is a great way to connect with others who are researching the same surnames. Just enter your contact info and research interests into our mailing or exchange lists. I have found this to be quite a successful way to meet new people and old relatives! Good luck and happy researching!